Together Energy chasing me for money zI don't owe.

Lazypod

I Joined Together Energy from Bulb as they said I'd be paying only £126 p/m, saving me £50. 

From the very start I advised that I was in an IVA and couldn't and didn't want to get into dept. I advised that before Bulb I was with Utility Warehouse and on leaving them ran up a £700 dept as they'd under charged me and didn't want to do this again.

Together Energy confirmed that this would not happen and £126 p/m is sufficient. 

The first and ongoing payments were £146 p/m. On asking why it was £20 more than agreed, I was advised that as I joined mid winter this was to build up some credit. However this never dropped and I was still advised that this was a sufficient amount, as I was concerned that I would be racking up a debt. 

I did get a little annoyed by them not being forward with why I was still paying £146. I signed up to Scottish Power outside Tesco, however so retracted my transfer once I learnt I mysteriously owed over £1,400 in debt to Together Energy. 

I questioned this with Together Energy on how this was possible, especially after so many conversations with them advising them of my situation with an IVA and past experience. Although I was not happy being mis-sold, I was more concerned about building up dept.

I made a complaint and threatened to leave. They offered £75 good will gesture, but I would still need to pay £100 to leave, no matter how bad the customer service.

I took my complaint to the Service Ombudsman. There a young lady called (Removed by Forum Team) took on my case. She was very helpful and contacted Together Energy on my behalf. 

She did all the calculations and due to a law for them not doing thier job correctly, I was not to pay for any dept incurred 12 month before the date they increased my direct debit to coincide with the energy I was using. 

I tried on three occasions to increase my direct and only managed to do this on October 5 (my birthday).  I managed increased my direct debit from £146 to £222. I added not to include the dept as this was still in dispute but to cover my current usage. 

However I couldn’t believe what I'd just done. Just as I'm talking to the guy on the phone increasing my direct debit I find out that I was £1,700 in credit. I did question why I had just increased it when I'm in credit. 

I spoke to Waiyee later that day and advised of my experience. She was baffled too, as she had also spoke to them that day and they didn't mention this. 

I knew something dodgy was going on at this very point and my exact words to Waiyee was "watch this space. They will agree to the complaint issue. However as I'm in credit, there's no amount to to take off the debt  and once the case is closed they'll take the £3000 back that the injected into my account". 

A letter of apology was issued, not to me personally, however I did view it on my Ombudsman portal. I had a £100 good will gesture added to my account and the complaint was settled and closed.

However as expected in December I was charged £3000 for my usage putting my account back to its original dept of about £1,100. I called Waiyee that day and basically said "I TOLD YOU SO".

Waiyee said that they have abide by thier original agreement and that she would put this to them. Waiyee was not working at all over Christmas but assured me that they have no choice but to except. 

Before she left for her leave she said that Together Energy had tried to refuse to acknowledge that there was any wrong doing and simply blamed it on false meter readings from a third party doing the meter reading. But I must add that I've got smart meters.

Since the Together Energy went bust in January and The Service Ombudsman cannot help me anymore.

I spoke to a guy still at Together Energy in January suggesting that the meter reading a falsely been doctored prior to the decision being made and after the case was closed in order to still gain all the debt from me. It was he that suggested that this could not be the case, as it would be classed as fraud. 

However I see no other reason. I as I said saw it comming months before and informed Waiyee at the Ombudsman of it then. 

It's just wrong. I would very much appreciate your views and opinions on this mater and maybe point me in the right direction to where I can get help to fight them on this.

I'm now out of my IVA of 6 years that ended in July and looking to improve my credit in order to hopefully remortgage in the future, however with debt collectors after me for £1,100 debt that was in dispute from Together Energy is not going to do my credit building. 

There's no way of calling them, every communications is via email and I'm simply waiting for the day that a couple of bouncer looking guys are going to be forcing themselves into my home taking my belongings to something I don't owe. 

Kind regards 

(Removed by Forum Team)

FreeBear

Lazypod said: There's no way of calling them, every communications is via email and I'm simply waiting for the day that a couple of bouncer looking guys are going to be forcing themselves into my home taking my belongings to something I don't owe.

You will not get any large hairy oafs just turning up to remove goods unannounced. The debt owner would have to go to court first to convince a judge that money is owed. They would then need to return court to get a warrant if you failed to pay (or make arrangements to settle). You'd get numerous notifications from the court long before the LHO (bailiffs or HCOs) come knocking and plenty of opportunity to dispute the debt.

Gerry1

Welcome to the forum.

If you don't want to build up debt you should choose Monthly Variable Direct Debit.

If you have a Fixed Direct Debit it's only a contribution to a kitty and there's never a guarantee that it will pay the bill: if you use more than expected you WILL go into debit and then perhaps debt.  Similarly, if you have FDD but don't send monthly readings (or have a working smart meter) then problem can be exacerbated when you get a large catch up bill after an accurate reading is eventually supplied.

Of course, MVDD means bigger bills in the winter and smaller ones in the summer, but that's inherent if you don't want to be in debit or debt.  MVDD also means that you'll get earlier warning of excessive consumption, provided that monthly readings are sent.

[Deleted User]

Have a read of this link:

https://debtcamel.co.uk/prove-it/

Given the complexity of the situation, a good option might be to make an appointment to see a Citizens Advice Energy Adviser. If you have any written communications from The Energy Ombudsman in support of your case take this information with you. Anecdotal verbal comments are not going to help you.

Mstty

One takeaway is that you seem to be lured in by the amount a DD will be and not what energy you are using then your debt added on top. You mentioned signing up outside Tesco as well which always rings alarm bells for me as who knows what they say to earn their commission.

Do you know your exact energy usage per year?

ariarnia

part of the problem is you say you are being chased for debt you dont owe but you dont know if you owe or what you owe (you probably owe something). 

even if the ombudsman ruled you didn't owe money past the 12 month mark. that means you still owed any debt outstanding to the 12 months until you raised the complaint and for your use until together energy went bust. 

so i agree with the advice given. but also think you need to be prepared for the idea that you do owe them some money. the question is working out how much. 

MWT

.... and since Together Energy no longer have a supply license they are no longer obliged to respect the 12 month limit in the back-billing rules...

ariarnia

MWT said:

.... and since Together Energy no longer have a supply license they are no longer obliged to respect the 12 month limit in the back-billing rules...

they dont. but to enforce the debt they'd need to go via small claims so it would be a bit of a gamble what the magistrate would decide if the op put forward the evidence that the ruling on the 12 months debt was made before they went bust (so when they were bound). i dont know anyone who has gotten that far and not agreed a settlement with the administrators before it got to court.

any negotiated settlement will depend on how much debt there is and what percentage they will realistically be able to get from the op or sell the debt for. 

brewerdave

As far as I'm aware, the administrators for Together Energy have handed over all remaining accounts in dispute , to Barratt ,Smith and Brown wef 30th November. The few remaining T.E staff who were working for the administrators , were laid off  pre Xmas.
There are numerous others who are in dispute over "final" bills. Some of these have posted on a Facebook group , T.E customer support group.

EssexHebridean

I’ve reported the OP on the thread for personal details - it may be as well to edit to remove both your full (distinctive) name and the personal details (full name again) of the OS Investigating Officer. 

Have you checked meter readings and bills from the point you joined Together to the point of the debt becoming apparent to get an idea of what you were using and so, what you should have been paying? That might help you to get a clearer idea of what you really owe. I assume that at some stage the smart meter was not sending accurate readings however as otherwise the debt would have appeared on the bills as it started accruing. Have a look back at the bills to see whether the readings are annotated with S (smart) C (customer) or E (estimated) - that’s one to watch out for in the future as well. 

It’s not quite correct to say outright that if the debt has passed to a DCA there will “have to be correspondence from the court before anyone turns up at the door” - some DCAs are heavier handed than others and will do door knocking, however you do not have to engage with them at all at that stage - you can simply ignore them, or call through the letter box that they are to leave your property immediately. If you do open the door it’s best to tell them that the debt is disputed and therefore you are not going to engage with them at all - don’t be drawn in to any further conversation as that should stay in writing. If you DO start getting letters from the court regarding any potential action then post back here but on the Debt Free Wannabe board - NOT here - for proper advice on that. Earlier in the process though nobody knocking at your door to discuss the matter has any importance whatsoever. They certainly do not have any form of right of entry, whatever they may tell you.

First thing is to work out for yourself whether what they are saying you owe is correct. I would also personally be checking that your DD amount now is correct to cover your use at the moment. 

[Deleted User]

There is one simple check that the OP can make. The meter reading used by Together Energy to close its account must be the same as the meter reading used to open the SoLR account. It is possible that the OP might not have been providing frequent meter readings and this might have resulted in a high transfer reading. If the meter readings are the same,  paying what is due to Together Energy will be less expensive than paying it to the SoLR. If the transfer readings do not agree, then contact the SoLR.